As a University of Minnesota wrestler, Cole Konrad won two NCAA heavyweight championships.

He has undergraduate and postgraduate college degrees and plans to attend law school next fall. He has tried out with the Vikings as an offensive lineman.

Now, at age 25, Konrad is pursuing another interest — the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Last spring, when the 6-foot-4 Konrad tried out for the Vikings at a minicamp, he weighed 320 pounds. He’s down to 280 and working out daily at his alma mater with trainer Marty Morgan, a former Gophers NCAA wrestling champion who also trains UFC champion Brock Lesnar. Lesnar and Konrad also work out together.

Konrad, who last month won his first mixed martial arts match in Fargo, N.D., has grueling workouts with Morgan. The sport is barbaric.

Why do it?

“It’s fun,” Konrad said between workouts at the Bierman Building complex.

But in this sport, you can get hurt.

“You can get hurt doing anything, driving to practice, anything,” Konrad said. “It depends on how you look at it.”

Morgan likes Konrad’s MMA future.

“In two to five years, he definitely could contend for a world title,” Morgan said.

Konrad’s next match is Feb. 27 in Philadelphia against Joel Wyatt, who has a 5-2 MMA record. Konrad plans to get his weight down to 265 for the fight.

Brokaw skated with Brooks’ grandchildren at an outdoor rink in Mahtomedi. The feature is scheduled to air on Tuesday .

Comedian Bill Murray got his way and will have Deephaven’s Tim Herron as his playing partner in this week’s ATT Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament. Herron, by the way, celebrated his 40th birthday with a family party in Phoenix last weekend.

Not only is Jacque Jones, who turns 35 in April, returning to the Twins organization, but another former Twins outfielder, Bobby Kielty, who turns 34 in August, plans a comeback as a right-handed pitcher.

The top five are Tiger Woods (despite his sex scandal), LeBron James, Phil Mickelson, Albert Pujols and Peyton Manning.

Former Gophers guard Lawrence McKenzie, who was injured playing in the NBA Development League this season, undergoes hip surgery today at Fairview Hospital in Minneapolis.

New Minnesota Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen’s USK Prague team was knocked out of the Euroleague playoffs by the Spanish Ros Casares team, but her team still is competing in the Czech Republic after recently winning the Czech Cup.

Brent Musburger and Bob Knight will be at Williams Arena tonight for ESPN’s coverage of the Gophers-Michigan game.

Jim Dowd, who played for the Wild in their inaugural season, makes the ceremonial “Let’s Play Hockey” call before Friday night’s game against Atlanta at the X. Dowd is a hockey analyst for Sirius XM radio and the NHL Network.

The late Craig Kusick, the former Twins first baseman and longtime baseball coach at Rosemount, is among eight inductees to the Minnesota State High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Rafael Eubanks, the former Cretin-Derham Hall football star who started at center for Iowa in the Orange Bowl, has signed with a Minneapolis agent and is preparing for the Hawkeyes’ pro day workouts March 6. Two weeks ago, Eubanks graduated with a degree in interdisciplinary studies in health and science.

Former Gopher Danny Irmen’s 25 points in 50 games ranks sixth in scoring for the Wild’s Houston Aeros minor league team.

DON’T PRINT THAT

Vikings ownership is expected to be keenly watching a California primary on June 8, when voters in Santa Clara will cast ballots on a controversial tax package that would pay for a new stadium for the San Francisco 49ers.

Former Gophers slugger Robb Quinlan, who was a strong free-agent consideration for the Twins until they signed Jim Thome, could end up back with the Los Angeles Angels.

The maroon and gold No. 77 football jersey that hung in the corridor outside the Gophers’ football offices before Cretin-Derham Hall offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson (tentatively) committed to Southern California, has been taken down. Henderson wore No. 77 for the state champion Raiders.

OVERHEARD

NBC sportscaster Bob Costas, on “The Jay Leno Show” this week: “If I can stick around for 10 more years, maybe I can call Brett Favre’s final game.”

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